Rex Features
EAT ME
By Joanna Weinberg
Beetroot is a strange one. Aristocratic in colour, peasant-like in looks, it is not an ingredient that will tuck itself shyly into the marginalia of a recipe. If beetroot is present, it will shout. The Hemsley sisters, whose healthy eating system has caught on with the fast and the famous, recommend adding it to avocado and strawberry smoothies to make them taste more, well, pink.
The beetroot has always been associated with good health. In Roman times, it was cultivated for its deeply coloured juice, to treat fevers and digestive disorders, but it was mainly the leaves that were eaten. It was the gardeners of Germany who decided to develop the root in the 16th century. From there, beetroot spread through northern Europe, sustaining hardy peoples through war and famine.
Until recently, it suffered at English hands, soused in vinegar until its mellow, mineral flavour was utterly masked. It has taken a couple of generations to recover from this reputation, but now the beet has been resurrected, not least out of laziness. No longer need they be boiled and peeled, pickled and stored; now, they simply bake in foil for a couple of hours in a medium oven, drizzled in a little oil, a few herbs and perhaps a couple of garlic cloves.
Beets like a piquant companion to set off their sweet earthiness. Cube and toss with a pesto of walnuts, garlic and blue cheese. Blend with tahini, Greek yogurt, lemon juice and garlic for a regal houmous. Slice and layer on a platter, piling on Puy lentils and goat's cheese, with a Dijon mustard and parsley dressing. Or warmup pounded anchovies and garlic in olive oil until just disintegrating, then add grated raw beetroot and peeled wet walnuts.
This month's recipe
It is as soup that beetroot appears on my table again and again as the season marches into winter. 1) Sweat onion, carrot and beetroot in a pan with butter and cumin until the vegetables are soft and tender. 2) Add good stock - whichever sort you prefer - and blend until completely smooth. Or, for something utterly restorative, chop beetroot into good quality beef or chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes to extract the colour and flavour. 3) Strain, then add grated raw beetroot, warm through and complete with a shot of vodka. 4) In both cases, season to taste and eat with a swirl of sour cream and a scattering of dill.
DRINK ME
By Malcolm Gluck
As we conjure beetroot into something quite wonderful, we require a suitable wine to join us at the chopping board. It has to be Champagne. Why Champagne? It is iconic. Like it or not, we cannot escape the imagery. Who would lead a cava lifestyle? Or a prosecco one? And as for leading an English sparkling wine lifestyle, what would the neighbours say? One can only lead a Champagne lifestyle. Period. This has nothing to do with whether or not other sparkling wines may be as fit as, in some cases fitter than, many a Champagne. It is to do with the magic of the disyllable. And so, as we weave our culinary magic and turn the humble beetroot - Beta vulgaris, no less - into a dish to die for, we shall sip Charles Orban Blanc de Noirs. It is rich but not rolling in it, chic but far from being prissily overdressed, and it shows a profoundly well-textured finesse. Priced at £30 at Marks & Spencer, this non-vintage Champagne is a bargain. For the beet dish comprising a walnut pesto and goat's cheese, stay where you are in the M&S wine aisles and pick up Renato Ratti Nebbiolo Langhe 2011 (another snip at £14). This juniper-tinged red is like a Barolo on the cheap and it's terrific with food.
